planning, teaching and assessing the curriculum for pupils with learning

Planning, teaching and assessing the curriculum for pupils with learning difficulties

General guidance

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This version first published in 2009

© Qualifications and Curriculum Authority 2009

ISBN 978-1-84721-887-2

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CONTENTS 1

ContentsForeword 2

Introduction 3What is the purpose of this guidance? 3Who are the pupils? 3Who is the guidance for? 3What is in the guidance? 4

Determining the curriculum for your school 5Determining a school curriculum for pupils with learning difficulties 5Establishing the school’s aims for the curriculum 5Determining curriculum entitlements and priorities for learning 6Providing for pupils’ personal priority needs: the place of therapy 7Making the most of others when determining the curriculum 9

Planning the curriculum 14Allocating time and curriculum components 14Curriculum plans 16Planning for progression 17Long- and medium-term planning 19Short-term planning 22

Recognising progress and achievement 27Identifying pupils’ needs 27Recognising progress 28Assessment for learning and record keeping 32Recognising attainment 34Using performance descriptions to recognise attainment 36Recognising attainment at key stage 4 40

Planning for change: monitoring, evaluation andreview of the school curriculum 41

Notes 43

Further support 44

Acknowledgements 46

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2 GENERAL GUIDANCE

ForewordThis government is committed to excellence in education for all ourchildren with special educational needs. I know that schools share thisvision: to see all their children achieve the best possible outcomes.I believe this guidance is an important part of helping teachers ensure thatall pupils reach their full potential.

Most schools work with children across the full range of ability. They needto be able to set suitable learning challenges for all their pupils, includingthose with learning difficulties. The P scales provide attainmentdescriptions for pupils with special educational needs aged 5 to 16working below level 1 of the national curriculum. Since September 2007the P scales have been part of the statutory framework against whichteachers report children’s progress. Importantly, in Planning, teaching andassessing the curriculum for pupils with learning difficulties, the P scalesare supported by subject materials for each of the national curriculumsubjects and for religious education.

I am delighted that QCA has revised and reissued these materials. Thenew materials incorporate the changes that were made to the P scales in2004 and other changes to the national curriculum. They preserve thestrengths of the original materials, which draw on effective practice acrossa range of schools and were developed through extensive consultationwith teachers of pupils with learning difficulties. The materials can be usedin mainstream and special schools, primary and secondary schools, unitsand other reserved provision, and independent schools. They also providesupport to the range of services that work with these schools. Thisguidance can be used alongside schools’ own materials and otherguidance that supports delivery of the national curriculum.

My thanks go to all who helped both in the original development of thesematerials and with this new edition. I am convinced that they will be awelcome and valuable resource in promoting the best possible outcomesfor children with learning difficulties.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools and Learners


INTRODUCTION 3

Introduction

What is the purpose of this guidance?This guidance supports the planning, development and implementation ofthe curriculum for pupils with learning difficulties. It draws on effectivepractice across a range of schools and can be used in mainstream andspecial primary and secondary schools, specialised units and independentschools. It also provides support to the range of services that work withthese schools.

The guidance can be used with the school’s own material, the nationalcurriculum and the frameworks for teaching literacy and mathematics to:

• confirm the statutory entitlement to learning for all pupils and build onthe principles of inclusion set out in the national curriculum

• help schools develop an inclusive curriculum by:

– setting suitable learning challenges

– responding to pupils’ diverse learning needs

– including all learners by overcoming potential barriers to learning andassessment

• provide a stimulus to revisit and revise existing schemes of work or abasis to develop new ones.

Who are the pupils?The guidance relates to all pupils aged between 5 and 16 who havelearning difficulties, regardless of factors such as their ethnicity, culture,religion, home language, family background or gender, or the extent oftheir other difficulties. This includes pupils who are unlikely to achieveabove level 2 at key stage 4. (These pupils are usually described as havingsevere or profound and multiple learning difficulties.) This also includespupils with learning difficulties who may be working at age-relatedexpectations in some subjects but are well below this in others. (Thesepupils, along with those with other significant difficulties, are oftendescribed as having moderate learning difficulties.)

Who is the guidance for?The guidance supports the work of a range of adults who are concernedwith meeting the needs of pupils with learning difficulties. This includesclass teachers, subject coordinators, special educational needscoordinators (SENCos), senior managers, teaching assistants, parents,


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carers, governors, therapists, local authority and advisory support services,and professionals from health, social services and the voluntary sector.Throughout these materials, the term ‘staff’ is used to refer to all thoseconcerned with the education of these pupils.

What is in the guidance?The guidance contains:

• support on developing and planning the curriculum

• support on developing skills across the curriculum

• subject materials on planning, teaching and assessing each nationalcurriculum subject; religious education (RE); and personal, social andhealth education (PSHE) and citizenship. These include descriptions ofpupils’ attainment showing progress up to level 1 of the nationalcurriculum, which can be used to recognise attainment and structureteaching.

I N T R O D U C T I O N

G E N E R A L G U I D E L I N E S


DETERMINING THE CURRICULUM FOR YOUR SCHOOL 5

Determining the curriculum for your school

Determining a school curriculum for pupils with learningdifficultiesThis section explores the possibilities for schools to develop theircurriculum in ways which match their aims, meet the varied needs of theirpupils and fulfil statutory requirements.

The curriculum for pupils with learning difficulties will provide for:

• the needs of all pupils that become priorities as they approachadulthood, for example, aspects of PSHE, the key skills and thinkingskills

• the needs of particular groups of pupils, for example, developingcommunication skills for pupils who have difficulties with conventionalspeaking and listening

• the particular needs of individual pupils, for example, physiotherapy ora specific programme in physical education.1

Establishing the school’s aims for the curriculumThe curriculum in all schools should be balanced, broadly based andenable all young people to become:

• successful learners who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve

• confident learners who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives

• responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society.

These aims complement and reinforce one another. The personaldevelopment of pupils plays a significant part in their ability to learn andto achieve.

Each school is responsible for determining the curriculum so that provisioncarefully matches local and individual circumstances. Curriculum aims needto be agreed and shared by all members of the school staff, governors,parents, carers, other professionals and the pupils themselves. The aimsand values in the national curriculum provide a starting point fordiscussion. School communities will develop aims that build on thestrengths of their pupils and reflect their specific needs. They should beinvolved in ongoing discussions, decision-making processes and reviewprocedures so the school’s curriculum aims respond to changing priorities.


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For pupils with learning difficulties the school curriculum might aim to:

• enable pupils to interact and communicate with a wide range of people

• enable pupils to express preferences, communicate needs, makechoices, make decisions and choose options that other people act onand respect

• promote self-advocacy or the use of a range of systems of supportedadvocacy

• prepare pupils for an adult life in which they have the greatest possibledegree of autonomy and support them in having relationships withmutual respect and dependence on each other

• increase pupils’ awareness and understanding of their environment andof the world

• encourage pupils to explore, to question and to challenge

• provide a wide range of learning experiences for pupils in each keystage suitable for their age.

Once agreed, the school aims will inform the development of curriculumplans, provide a focus for the work of the school and establish an essentialreference point when reviewing curriculum provision.

Determining curriculum entitlements and priorities forlearningThe following elements, which form shared entitlements for all pupils invarious age groups, need to be represented in the curriculum for pupilswith learning difficulties:

• Practice guidance for the early years foundation stage for pupils in thefirst years of their learning and development

• the general requirements of the national curriculum and, in particular,the statement on inclusion which sets out requirements under threebroad principles

• the full range of subjects of the national curriculum, includingcitizenship at key stages 3 and 4, religious education, sex andrelationship education, other aspects of PSHE, and careers education,according to the relevant key stage

• provision which prepares pupils for adult life, with access to suitablyaccredited courses as they grow older.



In addition, all pupils should be provided with opportunities to acquire,develop, practise, apply and extend their skills in a range of contextsacross the curriculum. These skills will also be relevant to life and learningoutside and beyond the school. Such skills include:

• the key functional skills entailed in communicating (including literacy),applying number skills and using information and communicationtechnologies

• personal, emotional, social, learning and thinking skills.

The development of these skills is an important part of any curriculum.Opportunities for, and examples of, the development of these skills shouldbe highlighted in curriculum planning across the whole range of subjects.

There are other important skills which individual pupils with learningdifficulties may also need to develop. Guidance on these skills and theirdevelopment across the curriculum can be found in the accompanyingsupport material, Developing skills (QCA/09/4029).

Providing for pupils’ personal priority needs: the place oftherapyMany pupils with learning difficulties will have personal priority needswhich are central to their learning and quality of life. Some pupils will havetherapeutic needs or require paramedical care. The range of therapeuticneeds and paramedical care is wide. Provision for these needs is alegitimate and essential element of the curriculum and should be plannedfor. This provision enhances individual pupils’ readiness to learn in manyways, for example by:

• supporting the accurate identification and assessment of individualneeds in language and communication

• positioning pupils so that they learn effectively

• helping pupils to maintain good posture, appropriate muscle tone andease of movement, and encouraging the development, refinement ormaintenance of skills in independent mobility

• helping pupils to manage eating and drinking

• promoting relaxation and support to help pupils manage stress andanxiety

• providing palliative treatments for painful or degenerative conditions toensure pupils’ health and well-being


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• promoting pupils’ autonomy and independence through the use ofspecialist aids and equipment

• developing pupils’ self-esteem

• allowing pupils’ behaviour and alternative ways of communicating to beacknowledged and understood.

Some forms of therapy, for example, speech and language, occupationalor physiotherapy, may be necessary to maintain physical well-being or thedevelopment of basic learning, health or emotional needs. The nature andextent of the support required for individual pupils and the best ways ofproviding it need to be considered carefully. Some pupils may needregular and continuing help from a specialist, while for others it may beappropriate for the school to deliver a discrete programme under theguidance and supervision of a specialist. Support from health services isgenerally set out as non-educational provision in a pupil’s statement.However, speech and language therapy may be regarded as eithereducational or non-educational provision. Further information on this isgiven in Special educational needs code of practice.

The planned provision of paramedical care and therapies may bedelivered by therapists working with schools or by school staff, pupils andtheir families. Therapists should be qualified and professionally accredited,belong to a professional association and work within an agreed andrecognised code of practice or formal professional guidelines. Where all,or parts, of therapeutic programmes are carried out by non-therapists,therapists should:

• provide advice and training for staff, pupils and families on thetechniques and approaches to be used

• monitor the quality of the work and provide appropriate and effectivesupport

• ensure that time is set aside for these elements

• ensure programmes are supported by clearly documented policies.

Music, art, drama or movement therapy may play a complementary role inthe curriculum for individual pupils and will need to be planned as part ofthe whole curriculum. Use of specialist environments, such as warm waterpools or light and sound stimulation rooms, may also be written into theschool timetable as group lessons shared by a number of pupils withsimilar needs. These programmes must include objectives to determinethe focus of therapy for individual pupils.



Schools should be cautious about the possibility of their pupils being putat risk through the inappropriate application of unproven therapeuticmethods. Some staff may be trained in therapeutic approaches such asrelaxation techniques or aromatic massage and may use them to improveindividual pupils’ readiness to learn. Although such activities are intendedto be therapeutic and can play an important role in the curriculum forsome pupils, they are not therapies in the same way as those which havebeen validated through qualifications and empirical evidence. Allprocedures should be non-invasive and negotiated with pupils although,under some circumstances, they may not enjoy procedures which may bein their long-term interests.

Making the most of others when determining thecurriculumVisiting professionals, support staff, parents, carers and the family, andspecialists from other schools, all have a significant part to play indetermining the curriculum for pupils with learning difficulties. To makethe most of their contribution, they need to be involved when establishingthe curriculum aims and determining the key curriculum components.

The contribution of visiting professionals

Schools may work with visiting professionals, such as therapists, advisoryteachers of the visually impaired and hearing impaired, social workers andeducational psychologists. Many schools have planned effective jointworking practices which are helped and encouraged by:

• active support from members of the senior management team

• time for regular, formal and informal discussions

• joint planning, problem solving and decision making

• an understanding of, and respect for, the roles and goals of otherprofessionals

• the use of a common, easily understood language

• in-service training in team work.2


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The role of support staff

All support staff can add to, and support, the curriculum so long as jointworking practices help the exchange of information and the discussion oflearning opportunities and provide ways to review pupils’ progress.

Teaching assistants may be employed on a full-time, part-time or sessionalbasis. They may work with individual pupils, several pupils or a whole classor department. Teaching assistants in all settings can work with the teacherto help pupils’ learning by having:

• a clearly defined role in the classroom

• time to share the planning of lessons and to report afterwards

• adequate resources (including relevant training and information)

• the importance of their role in the staff team recognised.3

These case studies from mainstream schools show the importance ofrecognising teaching assistants’ in-depth knowledge of the needs of theirpupils. The teaching assistants in these case studies see their role asproviding individual support but also as helping interaction betweenpupils and between pupils and staff.

D E T E R M I N I N G T H E C U R R I C U L U M F O R Y O U R S C H O O L

Staff training

One special school shows the importance of a consistency ofapproach for all members of staff by providing several hours oftraining for midday supervisors and volunteers throughout the year.During these sessions, staff are trained in eating programmes,playground games, first aid, signing, child protection issues andhandling and lifting techniques.



Olive

Olive attends a special school and spends one day a week in amainstream school. One of her integrated lessons is in art and design,where she works with a class of pupils, most of whom are on the keystage 3 programme of study. The class is making a study of theSurrealists and each pupil has chosen a painting as a starting point forthe work. Olive has selected a painting by René Magritte, of a roomwith clouds coming through the door. The teaching assistant isconcerned that Olive does not understand why these images, whichdo not seem to fit together, are placed beside each other in thepainting. The teaching assistant collects a tray of objects that Olive isable to match or pair in some way, and then encourages her tomismatch them in a way she finds amusing. The teaching assistantthen helps Olive to make a flip-book of images that are cut in half,then reassembled in an unusual way. Later the teaching assistanthelps Olive to talk to the class about her finished work and to displayit. At the end of the lesson, the teaching assistant records what hashappened and shares the information with the teacher.

Sam

Sam is in year 6. His severe difficulties in learning and his physicaldisabilities mean that he requires help in most areas of the curriculumfrom a teaching assistant who works with his teachers. In somesubjects, the teaching assistant works with a group of children,including Sam. In PE, Sam needs specific support. He uses a rolatorto help him to stand with the other pupils while the aims of the PElesson, using large apparatus, are explained to the class. Theteaching assistant stands away from the group and, as the pupilsbegin to work on the apparatus, she approaches Sam. Together theydiscuss where, how and what he would like to work on. They reach anagreement and the teaching assistant helps him to position himselfon the edge of the apparatus. With encouragement and physicalsupport, Sam pulls himself over the stand and on to a bench, andedges along on his front. The teaching assistant decides that heneeds her to be close to him and constantly reassures him until hehas completed the task. Sam and his peers then discuss differentways of approaching the task.


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The contribution of the family

The views of the families of pupils with learning difficulties should be takeninto account in all aspects of the curriculum, including assessment andreporting, in line with the Special educational needs code of practice.Practice guidance for the early years foundation stage outlines features ofeffective practice of working with families in the early years. These apply toevery stage of the education of all pupils. Examples are:

• all parents and carers are made to feel welcome, valued and necessaryby being able to work jointly with other parents, carers and staff

• the knowledge and expertise of parents, carers and other familymembers are used to support learning opportunities

• parents, carers and practitioners talk about and record informationabout the pupil’s progress and achievements, for example, throughmeetings or making a book about the pupil.

Individual education plans (IEPs) should be devised, wherever possible,with the involvement of parents, carers and pupils. Some parents andcarers support schools by working on the development of skills at home.The families of pupils with learning difficulties, in particular, may requireconsistent emotional and practical support from schools.

Working with staff in other schools

Curriculum development and planning for pupils with learning difficultiescan be greatly improved when colleagues working in special andmainstream settings work together. Staff in both settings have particularskills, understanding and expertise which should be valued and shared.Many schools have developed ways of:

• encouraging staff to talk about curriculum issues, for example, sharingideas about good practice, resources and ways of delivering particularsubjects

• promoting new ways of allowing staff to work together, for example,joint planning

• ensuring pupils and staff work together, for example, team teaching,peer coaching, critical friendships

• helping staff to support, advise, guide and provide opportunities fortraining in all settings and to develop approaches for individual pupils.



The sharing of expertise in such ways allows schools to work together onthe development of an inclusive curriculum that fully supports pupils withlearning difficulties working in a range of settings.4


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Planning the curriculumThe three principles in the national curriculum inclusion statement providea starting point when planning the school curriculum. These set out theopportunities and requirements schools need to consider when decidingthe different components, resources and support necessary to meet theneeds of all pupils, including those with learning difficulties.

Allocating time and curriculum componentsThere are no nationally specified times for particular subjects. It is forschools to determine, and justify, the amount of time allocated to differentparts of their curriculum over the course of a week, a term, a year or a keystage. When doing so, they should take account of:

• their own school aims

• the needs of the pupils attending the school (which will change as theyprogress and grow older)

• the requirement to provide a broad and balanced curriculum (whichincludes the subjects of the national curriculum and RE)

• the national frameworks for teaching literacy and mathematics

• the needs of the local community.

Although the national curriculum is specified in subjects, schools are notnecessarily required to teach them separately. They can organise theircurriculum in ways which provide opportunities for appropriate andrelevant learning, have meaning for pupils, parents, carers and staff, anduse resources to maximum effect.

Schools can build on their strengths to meet the needs of their pupils byemphasising particular parts of the curriculum or particular approaches forpupils at different stages of their education. It is essential, especially in all-age schools, to consider how the curriculum should be appropriatelybalanced for pupils working in each age group. At key stage 4, in line withQCA’s web guidance on Personalising the curriculum for 14–25s withlearning difficulties – new opportunities, broadening horizons, new areasof the curriculum may be introduced so that pupils will have moreopportunities to determine some of their own learning.

Schools need to be able to explain the thinking behind their curriculumand to demonstrate how they are meeting statutory requirements for alllearners, taking account of variations to meet individual pupils’ needs. Thesubject materials in this guidance support schools in this process.


PLANNING THE CURRICULUM 15

Decisions and explanations about time allocations and the differentcomponents can be specified in:

• policy statements for the whole curriculum and for each subject or partof the curriculum

• statements about breadth and balance which show the characteristicprofile of the curriculum in each key stage

• curriculum plans and schemes of work for pupils in each key stage

• class or group timetables

• IEPs.

Schools use a range of effective strategies for managing time andcomponents. These include:

• giving significant time to those parts of the curriculum which arepriorities for their pupils, for example, communication, physicaldevelopment or PSHE

• varying the frequency of parts of the curriculum, for example, schoolsallocate daily lessons to core aspects of the curriculum including literacyand mathematics, but allocate a weekly session to other importantactivities and a fortnightly class to foundation subjects

• teaching some foundation subjects in alternating blocks, for example,history appears on the timetable in one term and geography in thefollowing term

• teaching some parts of a subject in depth and treating other materialwith a lighter touch, for example, schools emphasise personal, familyand local history for pupils with complex needs in key stage 3, whileintroducing them to some of the contrasts between their own lives andthose of people in the Middle Ages

• emphasising aspects of the programmes of study that are essential forthe needs of their pupils

• identifying skills, such as those developed in music and PE, whichrequire regular and frequent practice and teaching

• recognising out-of-class time as contributing to aspects of learning thatare important for pupils with learning difficulties, for example, schoolsplan, record and monitor pupils’ progress at mealtimes as part of thedevelopment of pupils’ personal skills or to meet health needs

• integrating key parts of pupils’ personal development in plans for


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subject-focused lessons, for example, schools give time at thebeginning and end of PE sessions to toileting, personal hygiene ordressing and undressing skills

• linking parts of some subjects in themes, for example, schools cancreate a unit of work on transport that brings together science, historyand design and technology

• providing periods of intensive study in some areas as an alternative toregular timetabled lessons, for example, schools offer rich and variedexperiences of another language and culture during a French or aSpanish week to pupils in key stages 3 or 4.

Decisions about breadth, balance and time given to different componentsin the curriculum in each key stage need to be continually reviewed andrevised. The decisions will be influenced by pupils’ individual needs,drawing on their statements of special educational needs, the outcomes oftheir annual reviews and the priorities identified in their IEPs. Alterationsneed to be monitored regularly and adjusted to ensure each pupil’sentitlement to receive a broad and balanced curriculum over time.

Curriculum plansThe subject materials in this guidance support staff in drawing upcurriculum plans for pupils with learning difficulties.5 When developingthese plans, staff need to address aspects of the curriculum which areentitlements for all pupils and provide opportunities to learn which reflectthe range of needs, interests and the past achievements of pupils in eachage group.

Outcomes from curriculum planning include:

• policy statements which bring together strategic planning decisions foreach area of the curriculum and show the balance between differentparts of the curriculum in each key stage

• guidelines and practical advice for staff which help them teach eachsubject, offer notes about resources, management and the use ofequipment and stress important points to consider when teaching

• long-term plans which indicate how content and skills in each key stageand programme of study are covered, identify when it is appropriate toteach content in discrete units or modules and when to offerexperiences on a regular or continuing basis, show links betweensubjects and build in progression, consolidation and diversification forpupils across units



• medium-term plans which define intended learning outcomes for unitsof work, provide information on teaching activities and resources andidentify assessment and recording opportunities

• short-term plans which set out the detailed intentions of teaching andlearning in the classroom, on a weekly basis.

Staff working with pupils with learning difficulties can develop and refinetheir own curriculum plans or use or adapt published schemes of work inrelation to the full range of national curriculum subjects. Not all publishedschemes are suitable and many need to be modified for work with pupilswith learning difficulties. Where appropriate, reference is made to units inthe schemes of work in the accompanying subject materials.

Planning for progressionEffective planning involves the careful and deliberate sequencing ofcurriculum content and experiences which build on previous learning andachievements to promote future learning. Long- and medium-termcurriculum plans should provide for, and show progression from, agegroup to age group and within each of the four key stages. These planswill enable teachers to design and implement learning opportunities intheir short-term planning which promote progress and achievement for alllearners.

For pupils with learning difficulties, progression is not necessarily onlymovement up a hierarchical ladder of skills and knowledge. Lateralprogression is also important.


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Progression

Planning for progression for individuals or groups might focus on:

skill development – where pupils are encouraged to gain new skills;to practise, maintain, combine, develop, refine, transfer or generaliseexisting skills; to reactivate skills gained previously, for example, apupil who has learned to work with numbers up to 10 by the end ofkey stage 3 may be taught to develop those skills in vocationalactivities in key stage 4 and post-16

breadth of curricular content – in order that pupils’ access to newknowledge and understanding is extended, for example, teaching allpupils about the biological aspects of adolescence and adulthood atkey stage 3

a range of contexts for learning – in which pupils are offered a varietyof activities, resources and environments appropriate to their age,interests and prior achievements, for example, encouraging pupils touse their senses to explore events and environments beyond thespecialist sensory room

a variety of support equipment – to enable pupils to take control oftheir environment; to increase mobility; to develop and practisecommunication skills, for example, pupils who have learned to makechoices using a computer program might be offered greaterautonomy by using a communication device to say what they want todo or to initiate interactions with others at key points in the schoolday

a range of teaching methods – determined by pupils’ individualstrengths and learning styles at different stages of development, forexample, promoting increasing cooperation between pupils and areduction in the need for staff support

negotiated learning – where pupils are encouraged to take a greaterpart in the learning process, and in planning or measuring success, forexample, pupils help to make their record of achievement or progressfile and select work they consider their best, as well as set personalgoals



In practice, all these will be linked. Planning can ensure that different formsof progression relate to and support one another, for example, providinglearning opportunities outside the pupils’ familiar environments can helppupils apply skills in a range of contexts.

Long- and medium-term planningLong- and medium-term curriculum plans and the goals established atpupils’ annual review meetings set out intentions for learning in terms ofthe key stage, a particular year and school terms. Long- and medium-termplans help to secure pupils’ shared entitlement to breadth of experience.Staff may decide to adjust the balance in the curriculum and to focus onpriority areas of learning by ensuring their planning accommodates groupor individual plans.

Long- and medium-term plans may be developed for particular nationalcurriculum subjects and RE. They may also be needed for other areas ofthe curriculum which are important for all pupils, including:

• literacy, numeracy and communication skills (through time set aside forthese important aspects of the curriculum as well as through cross-curricular applications)

• pupils’ personal and social development (through courses of PSHE, sexand relationship education, citizenship, careers education and work-related learning).

Plans also need to make provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social andcultural development. They should recognise that this takes place throughacts of collective worship as well as through the ethos and the day-to-daylife of the school community.

application of skills, knowledge and understanding in new settings –where pupils are offered learning opportunities in specialist,mainstream and community environments, for example, encouragingolder pupils to apply their developing numeracy skills in communityrather than classroom settings

strategies for independence – where pupils are helped to move awayfrom adult support and class-based activities towards autonomy andself-advocacy in the community to prepare for life beyond school, forexample, pupils in key stage 4 or post-16 provision might use arts orfood technology facilities at the local sixth form or further educationcollege and work with their fellow students in a vocational setting.


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Individual education plans

Within the school curriculum, teachers will differentiate their approachesto meet the needs of different pupils. Strategies employed over andabove this to enable individual pupils with special educational needs tomake progress should be set out in IEPs. IEPs should include informationabout:

• the short-term targets set for or by the pupil

• the teaching strategies to be used

• the provision to be put in place

• when the plan is to be reviewed

• success or exit criteria

• the outcomes of the action taken (to be recorded when the IEP isreviewed).

IEPs should focus on three or four individual targets in key areas such ascommunication, literacy, numeracy and behaviour and social skills.

Individual support programmes

Schools will need to strike a balance between flexibility and consistency intheir approach to time allocation to ensure that all the needs of pupils aremet. In order to provide this time, some schools develop individualsupport programmes which take into account:

• pupils’ support needs in terms of staffing, resources and equipment, forexample, mobility and communication aids

• the management of medical and paramedical issues and personal careroutines, for example, epilepsy or difficulties with eating and drinking

• ways of minimising the impact of sensory and physical impairments, forexample, the use of specialised lighting, positioning equipmentappropriately

• individual counselling and the management of difficult emotions andbehaviour, for example, helping pupils recognise what triggersoutbursts and how to respond

• continuing use of therapeutic treatments, for example, intensiveinteraction6, hydrotherapy, horse riding.



Effective individual support programmes build on pupils’ understanding oftheir own support needs and the views and contributions of parents,carers, families and others. They will draw on, as appropriate, the expertiseand involvement of a range of professionals from different agencies,including therapists, nursing staff, social workers and voluntary sectorrepresentatives. Individual support programmes can make a significantcontribution to an effective curriculum for pupils with learning difficultiesby ensuring that parts of therapeutic programmes are successfullyintegrated in classroom activities.

Other pupils, however, may also need ongoing, intensive work on aspectsof their individual support programmes in timetabled sessions outside theclassroom and in dedicated therapeutic environments.

Jamie

Jamie, who is five, can sit on the floor unsupported and can move byshuffling on his bottom. He is nervous and lacks confidence inmovement, a situation compounded by poor eyesight and a brittlebone condition. The physiotherapist has set priorities for Jamie’smobility which staff carry out in their daily teaching. He is beingencouraged to stand with adult support. The physiotherapist hasadvised that, whenever possible, Jamie should be offered theopportunity to develop his standing skills.The class is involved in a music lesson. Selecting each child’s name inturn, the staff sing ‘What shall we do with…’ to the tune of ‘TheDrunken Sailor’. The pupils are encouraged to take part, for example,when the chorus is sung standing or moving round the room, byvocalising ‘up’ or raising their hands in the air. Jamie, who enjoysmusic, is sitting on a small wooden chair and taps the rhythm of thesong on its arms. He observes each pupil’s response in turn and,when his teacher kneels on the floor opposite him, he smiles inanticipation and is quite happy to have his arms supported. Thegroup sing ‘hooray and UP he rises’ and Jamie is prompted to standwith adult support. He stands briefly without protest and then helowers himself to a sitting position at the end of the chorus.


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Short-term planningThe process of short-term planning supports teaching and learning on aweek-by-week, day-by-day, lesson-by-lesson basis. Good-quality, medium-term curriculum plans, the short-term targets set in pupils’ IEPs and themanagement plans detailed in individual support programmes will providemost of the information that staff need in order to prepare short-termplans for teaching.

Thomas

In contrast to Jamie, Thomas has some timetabled lessons in adistraction-free environment. Thomas is a year 4 pupil who has ahearing impairment. He uses some signing, mainly single words. Hewears hearing aids and he is working to extend the amount of timehe can concentrate on a task. The speech and language therapist, inconsultation with his class teacher and the teacher for the hearingimpaired, is working with Thomas for short regular sessions on a one-to-one basis in her therapy room. The aim is for Thomas to respondto a single sound over a wide range of frequencies. He needs to workin a quiet, distraction-free environment with favourable acoustics toensure the best opportunity for success.The therapist is encouraging Thomas to locate various sounds in herroom. She uses a favourite activity, a helter skelter, in which he listensto the phrase ‘ready, steady, go’ and attempts to release a ball onhearing the word ‘go’. She varies the volume and tone of her voice toestablish the range. After several weeks, Thomas lets the ball go atthe end of the phrase. His teacher encourages Thomas to use the skillin work in the classroom, using the same equipment.Every three to four weeks, Thomas has a joint session with thetherapist and the visiting teacher for the hearing impaired, in whichthey review his progress and set new targets. The therapist discussesThomas’s progress with the class teacher and staff, and advises themon the frequencies that Thomas can hear and on ways of maximisinghis attention to the task.



To plan activities which include pupils with learning difficulties, staff needto:

• identify objectives, drawn from schemes of work, that promote access,participation and achievement for all pupils

• include targets from IEPs, probably set in terms of key functional orpersonal skills, in plans for subject-focused group activities

• take account of pupils’ individual support needs

• share information and views about how pupils’ interests, aptitudes andprior achievements should influence the content and progress oflessons.

Staff need to build on the inclusion statement in the national curriculumhandbooks to select, organise and use available environments andresources, and to match them carefully to lesson content and to prioritiesfor learning for individual pupils. This enables staff and pupils to prepareefficiently and effectively for each session of the day and to provide for:

• changes of venue and movement to and from different locations forlearning in and beyond the school

• the use of an appropriate range of equipment relating both to thepurposes of subject-focused activity and the personal and learningneeds of individual pupils

• consistency of support, where appropriate.

Staff also need to achieve an appropriate balance between the provisionof familiar experiences and activities and the presentation of newchallenges. Individual pupils or groups of pupils may, at different times,need to be motivated and stimulated by a wide range of experiences in avariety of contexts. For some pupils it may be necessary to providefrequent repetitions of the same experience in the same setting so thatthey begin to notice events and start to learn. Others may need to revisitand repeat similar experiences over an extended period to stimulatelearning. A particular learning opportunity may remain relevant andimportant for pupils for many months or years, but its context may bemodified according to the curriculum experiences provided and themotivation, current interest and age of the pupils.

Pupils learn at different rates and prefer experiences, activities andmaterials to be presented in different ways. Many pupils with learningdifficulties may need to learn through specific sensory experiences, forexample, through visual, auditory or tactile stimuli. Teaching needs to be


24 GENERAL GUIDANCE

responsive to these needs. As they make progress, pupils may beencouraged to become aware of the ways in which they best learn.

For all pupils, the social, interpersonal and communicative aspects ofworking with others can enhance learning. Short-term planning can helpstaff to group pupils in a variety of ways matched to different purposes,and ensure that, over time, there is teaching:

• to the whole class

• to large cross-class groups

• in uniform sets

• in small mixed-ability or ‘jigsaw’ groups7

• in pairs

• in one-to-one staff–pupil settings.

Pupils can be introduced to the benefits of working together and of socialinteraction if experiences are carefully and progressively structured. So, forexample, they might progress from working with a preferred and trustedmember of staff to working alongside other pupils with learning difficulties(in pairs and in small groups) to working with mainstream peers and inindependent and cooperative groups.

Working with others

A mixed-ability class of pupils working at key stage 2 has justcompleted a series of literacy activities based on a favourite book.They now decide that they would like to make a wall frieze toillustrate part of the story. With staff support, they agree on thesubject and the tasks they will do. These include preparing thebackground, painting, printing and using collage effects to make theanimals, and writing the captions which form part of the story. Thegroup decides that James, Bradley and Gemma should prepare thebackground and it is suggested that, with help, they will use theirhands to mix and spread the paint. Keeva, Ryan, Jabir and Daniel willprepare the animals, trees and coconuts. This will involve printing withtextured materials and ‘found’ objects such as the ends of cottonreels. They will mix paint together with oats and glue and use theresult to create the elephant’s skin. They will cut and stick crêpe paperto assemble the palm fronds. Abigail and Hang Wai can write theirnames unaided, so they will write the captions using symbols andincluding the ideas of the rest of the group.



Short-term planning also involves decisions about the most appropriateand effective teaching methods. Staff may decide to teach particularknowledge, skills and understanding to an individual pupil or a group ofpupils in a variety of ways to provide effective learning opportunities for allpupils, as required by the inclusion statement in the national curriculum.They may draw on a range of teaching approaches including:• broad perspectives, for example, behavioural or interactive

• particular techniques, for example, prompting, shaping or questioning

• specific ways of working in the classroom, for example, investigation,exploration, working together as a group or role play.

In choosing specific and effective teaching methods, staff use theirprofessional judgement to take into account:

• individual and group aptitudes, needs and characteristics

• the make-up of groups of pupils, for example, age and number

• how individual pupils prefer to learn, for example, passive listeningbefore a new experience

• the intended outcomes of the planned learning experiences andactivities, for example, carrying out active investigations in science

• the resources available, for example, the physical environment,materials and staffing

• the approaches which, in their experience, will best help them to relateand communicate with pupils.

Some aspects of certain subjects lend themselves to particular ways ofworking, for example, scientific activities are often investigative, anddesign and technology often requires a problem-solving approach. Mostsubjects may be approached in a variety of ways, for example, storytellingcan be used in science and discussion can support PE.


26 GENERAL GUIDANCE

Staff will find that particular teaching methods may be effective for certainpupils or groups of pupils. For some learners, consistency may beimportant. Generally, however, pupils should experience a variety ofteaching methods and staff need to ensure balance across the range byproviding experience of:

• recognisable contexts and interactions

• active, investigative learning

• watching and listening opportunities

• problem-solving challenges

• working with other pupils

• relevant use of information and communication technology (ICT).


RECOGNISING PROGRESS AND ACHIEVEMENT 27

Recognising progress and achievement

Identifying pupils’ needsAll staff, including therapists and educational psychologists, use a varietyof assessment tools to identify the learning and support needs of pupilswith learning difficulties. These may range from standardised tests to theuse of equipment such as video which can be used, for example, topinpoint subtle and specific events, or to find regular communicativebehaviour or ways in which pupils control their environment.8 Otherdevices, such as developmental checklists, suggest an order of skills thatpupils might follow to make progress toward further stages ofdevelopment. Although such checklists cannot accommodate each pupil’sspecific learning route for all curriculum areas, they can be a usefulreference when used with detailed observation and assessmentopportunities in the classroom. A variety of published frameworks forassessing pupils with more profound and complex learning difficulties isavailable. These indicate the current performance of an individual pupiland how progress may be made.9

Ways of identifying the starting points for learning from which progresscan be measured are an essential feature of any assessment system.Conducted effectively, they involve and inform parents, carers and families,a range of professionals and the pupils themselves. Through suchassessment, staff can gather information which helps to clarify pupils’:

• existing levels of development, knowledge, skills and understanding, aswell as their achievements, strengths and needs, in order to determinefuture priorities and targets

• priorities for learning which may be dealt with through IEP targets

• responses to teaching methods and plans, and how they prefer to learn

• use of resources including staff, situations, rooms and materials

• individual responses, including those that may indicate progress istaking place, whether planned and targeted or unexpected

• personal interests and motivation

• support needs to access and/or complete tasks

• therapeutic needs.


28 GENERAL GUIDANCE

For pupils with a statement of special educational need, assessment is partof a continuous cycle, driving the annual review process and providinginformation to support the development and ongoing review of IEPtargets.

Recognising progressFor all pupils, including those with learning difficulties, progress is aboutchange and development. For most pupils with learning difficulties,achievements can be predicted and planned for and progress can bedemonstrated in terms of increased knowledge, skills and understanding.Some may follow the same developmental pattern as their fellow pupils,but not necessarily at the same age or rate. Progress may be made insome areas of the curriculum but not in others. For some pupils, progressmay be difficult to predict or idiosyncratic and may only be demonstratedin a certain environment with a specific person or materials.

Progress may be recognised when pupils with learning difficulties:

• develop ways to communicate from the use of concrete ways (bodylanguage and objects of reference) toward the abstract (pictures,symbols, print, signs, ICT and the spoken word)

• develop a range of responses to social interactions from defensivenessthrough resistance (for some pupils, a positive response) to tolerance;and from passive cooperation toward active participation withindividuals, in groups and in wider social circumstances

• develop a range of responses to actions, events or experiences even ifthere is no clear progress in acquiring knowledge and skills

• demonstrate the same achievement on more than one occasion andunder changing circumstances

• demonstrate an increase in knowledge and understanding about asubject

• demonstrate an ability to maintain, refine, generalise or combine skillsover time and in a range of circumstances, situations and settings

• move from a dependence on secure and predictable routines toward agreater degree of autonomy shown by risk-taking and increasedconfidence

• demonstrate a reduced need for support, for example, from anotherperson, from technology, from individualised equipment, in carrying outparticular tasks



• develop a wider regular use of learning positions and learningenvironments, reducing the need to present activities in consistent andpersonalised ways

• show a reduction in the frequency or severity of behaviour that inhibitslearning through more appropriate behaviour

• demonstrate an increased ability to cope, for example, with frustrationand failure, with new or challenging learning opportunities or situations

• decide not to participate or to respond.

Many of these aspects of progress can be identified in the followingexamples of pupils developing their knowledge, skills and understanding.

Nadia

Nadia is a year 6 pupil whose learning difficulties are profound andcompounded by visual impairment and physical disabilities. She isable to see very bright objects and those set against a contrastingbackground. She likes to explore materials and preferred items, usingall her senses. She quickly falls asleep if she is bored or notinterested. Nadia is learning to respond in two distinct ways: withlaughter and hand-waving when she is enjoying the activity or theexperience, with passivity or turning away when she is not. She isencouraged to extend her range of responses and to develop clear,predictable signals for showing that she wants an activity to continueor to end. In this way it is hoped to further extend her regular use ofresponses and her ability to communicate.


30 GENERAL GUIDANCE

Ailsa

Ailsa is a year 2 pupil in a mixed class in a special school. She islearning in different contexts to show she wants an activity to startagain or that she would like more. Staff observe that she is beginningto use these skills in a general way. At drinks time, for example, thepupils have a biscuit, and Ailsa is given a small piece of biscuit, whichshe eats. Initially, members of staff encouraged and shaped herrequest for ‘more’ by physically prompting her to tap the table. Inresponse, she was immediately offered more. Recently, she has shownher understanding of the process by tapping the table (without beingprompted) as soon as she has finished the biscuit. In addition, she hasused this method in the soft play room to ask for an activity to berepeated. After a particular movement activity, a teaching assistantholds out a hand. With a smile and direct eye contact, Ailsaimmediately taps it and the teaching assistant resumes the activity.

Wesley

Wesley is a year 11 pupil who is very sociable and eager to please. Asa result, he enjoys the praise he receives when giving the appropriateanswers. Wesley has no difficulty with predictable and familiarroutines. He anticipates the correct response and receives praise. Inless familiar activities, he will not accept that he can make a mistakeso does not take part. During an English and communication lesson,the teacher introduced a quiz based on the television programme‘Who wants to be a millionaire?’ Although it was a new activity,Wesley selected answers confidently from a selection of three. Thestaff agreed that using a game helped Wesley to relax and feel moreconfident in taking the risks that, in the past, he had feared. Followingthis, the teacher introduced games into a variety of activities,especially during plenary sessions. Wesley began to gain confidencein his own abilities and became more willing to volunteer a reply.



Govinda

Govinda is in a year 2, small, mixed group of pupils with physicaldisabilities and learning difficulties. As part of the term’s musicproject, the class is exploring and making sounds. Govinda is learningto work lying on his side on a resonance board which reinforcessound and vibrations. He is able to locate objects and to makesounds by pushing and banging percussion instruments and he showsa preference for certain instruments and sounds. For some of his timein school he sits in a specially adapted chair that supports his upperbody and enables him to practise holding up his head. He is placedin the chair for part of the music lessons and his favourite soundmaker, a switch-activated drum, is placed on a stand on his tray. As aresult, he is motivated to keep his head up while playing the drum.

Adam

Adam is in year 9. He has severe difficulties in learning and complexcommunication problems as a result of an autistic spectrum disorder.He needs the support of clearly defined routines and becomesextremely distressed if they are not in place. To reduce his stresslevels and to help him to arrive at school better prepared for learning,he is involved in the preparation of his daily timetable. He ismotivated by ICT and at the end of each day, he accesses thecomputer, where he types in and prints out the following day’stimetable. He places one copy in his bag to take home and the otheron the wall in his timetable space. He is then aware of and preparedfor what is to come and he can also play a computer game before hegoes home.


32 GENERAL GUIDANCE

Not all pupils will make progress, however. Staff will recognise that,because of their learning difficulties, some pupils may reach a plateau intheir achievements, or regress. This is usually temporary, but sometimescan be lengthy or permanent. In such cases, pupils’ recorded attainments,or achievements previously predicted by staff, may decline. A slowing ofthe rate of regression, shown by skills or capabilities being maintained orreactivated, is then a form of progress.

Assessment for learning and record keepingEffective assessment and record keeping can be supported by:

• specifying time for observation in a unit of work

• targeting specific pupils for observation and recording in particularlessons, ensuring that all learners are assessed in all subjects over time

• giving responsibility for observation and record keeping to namedmembers of staff in specified lessons

• involving pupils in assessment and recording processes.10

Working like this means that assessment, record keeping andacknowledging progress and achievement become an integral part ofteaching and learning for all pupils. Some pupils may monitor and analysetheir own strengths and weaknesses; others may indicate their preferenceswithin and between activities, some with help from advocates.

As with all pupils, where possible, pupils with learning difficulties shouldbe involved in monitoring their own progress.

Involving pupils in assessment and recording

It is Friday afternoon and pupils with a range of learning difficultiesdiscuss the week’s activities in pastoral groups. Each pupil discussesthe past week with a member of the staff team. Together they reviewthe pupil’s progress toward the week’s targets, discuss individuallesson ‘likes and dislikes’ and record comments in an individualplanner, which the pupil takes to subject-focused lessons throughoutthe week. These comments usually build on previous work and alwaysrelate to the targets described in the pupil’s ‘annual review abstract’at the front of their planner. After these discussions, adjustments totargets are entered into the ‘This week I will…’ section of the ‘Myweek’ recording sheet. The pupil is reminded of these agreed targetsduring the pastoral time on Monday morning before going to lessons.



Recording the context for learning helps to build up the profiles ofindividual pupils. Regular monitoring and recording of pupils’ responsesand progress across the curriculum identifies areas where pupils aremaking steady progress and where progress is not being maintained. Theresponses of some pupils may change from lesson to lesson and subjectto subject and may be dependent on factors such as:

• preferences for certain members of staff

• proximity to certain pupils

• different environments

• the time of day

• access to favourite items of equipment

• particular sorts of sensory experience

• subject contexts

• preferences for subject-specific experiences

• emerging talents in particular subject areas.

Recording such information and keeping up-to-date records can help staffbuild on what they know pupils can do, and make decisions about theneed to adjust teaching methods, provide additional support or look intofactors that may affect performance, such as a deterioration in health or achange in home circumstances.

For pupils with learning difficulties, records of experiences, progress andachievements in relation to targets in their IEPs and curriculum plansshould focus on significant responses or ways of learning. A system shouldbe flexible enough to include unexpected or unusual responses, howeverthese occur. The needs of individual pupils may determine the type ofrecord, and it may be necessary to draw up individual formats or deviseinnovative ways of maintaining records. For pupils with more profound andcomplex difficulties, comments on the quality of learning are important, todescribe, interpret and explain the complexities and subtle differences ofindividual responses.

It is up to staff to decide the kinds of records they keep. Their decision willbe based on how useful they and other staff find the records. Records mayinclude:

• extracts from curriculum plans (as records of experience)

• comments about pupil responses


34 GENERAL GUIDANCE

• annotated samples of work

• photographs, or audio or video recordings

• pupil self-assessment and peer recordings

• a pupil’s record of achievement or progress file

• assessments related to external accreditation.

Recognising attainmentThe following framework can help teachers recognise attainment belowlevel 1 of the national curriculum.11 It describes possible changes inindividual pupils’ responses and behaviour as their early perceptions ofexperiences and their increasing involvement in the learning processdevelop into areas of knowledge, skills and understanding. Thedevelopment of important personal, social, learning, thinking andcommunication skills is shown by degrees of attention, discrimination andparticipation in experiences and activities.

Self-assessment

As part of a key stage 2 curriculum unit on personal and socialdevelopment, pupils must do tasks for other classes and members ofstaff. They have to remember where they need to go, the equipmentthey need and the nature of their task. The stages of the tasks areshown by symbols on a self-assessment chart. Having completed thetask, the pupils fill in their charts (helped by a member of staff) andshow, by using a smiley face and a stamp, if they have completedeach stage satisfactorily. Lexine, a year 6 pupil, is helping to tidy thestaffroom and, as part of the sequence of tasks, she must rememberto go to the caretaker’s cupboard and ask for polish and a duster. Atfirst she forgot and went straight to the staffroom. When filling in theself-assessment chart, she recorded that she had not fully completedthe task. In later weeks she remembered and recorded her success.



A framework for recognising attainment

Encounter – Pupils are present during an experience or activitywithout any obvious learning outcome, although for some pupils, forexample, those who withhold their attention or their presence frommany situations, their willingness to tolerate a shared activity may, initself, be significant.

Awareness – Pupils appear to show awareness that something hashappened, and notice, fleetingly focus on or attend to an object,event or person, for example, by briefly interrupting a pattern of self-absorbed movement or vocalisation.

Attention and response – Pupils attend and begin to respond, oftennot consistently, to what is happening, for example, by showing signsof surprise, enjoyment, frustration or dissatisfaction, demonstratingthe beginning of an ability to distinguish between different people,objects, events and places.

Engagement – Pupils show more consistent attention to, and can tellthe difference between, specific events in their surroundings, forexample, by focused looking or listening; turning to locate objects,events or people; following moving objects and events throughmovements of their eyes, head or other body parts.

Participation – Pupils engage in sharing, taking turns and theanticipation of familiar sequences of events, for example, by smiling,vocalising or showing other signs of excitement, although theseresponses may be supported by staff or other pupils.

Involvement – Pupils actively strive to reach out, join in or commentin some way on the activity itself or on the actions or responses of theother pupils, for example, by making exploratory hand and armmovements, seeking eye contact with staff or other pupils, or byspeaking, signing or gesturing.

Gaining skills and understanding – Pupils gain, strengthen or makegeneral use of their skills, knowledge, concepts or understanding thatrelate to their experience of the curriculum, for example, they canrecognise the features of an object and understand its relevance,significance and use.


36 GENERAL GUIDANCE

This framework should not be used as a tool to measure hierarchical andlinear progress mechanistically from encounter to attainment. It is possible,for example, that pupils’ responses may change from day to day and fromexperience to experience. The pupil who used to be an active participantmay, for a range of complex and (hopefully) temporary reasons, show littleresponse in a new setting. Later, the same pupil may give responsesshowing that new skills, understanding or areas of knowledge have beenstrengthened. The framework may give staff a greater understanding ofhow pupils move through a learning process. Schools may wish to use thisframework to develop their own assessment tools so they take intoaccount the differing needs of their pupils across the curriculum.

Using performance descriptions to recognise attainmentPerformance descriptions are set out in the accompanying subjectmaterials. These have been developed, in response to requests and withthe involvement of teachers, using the framework set out above. QCA’sUsing the P scales provides further guidance on working with theseperformance descriptions, together with the scales themselves andexemplar materials.

The sets of performance descriptions outline early learning and attainmentfor each subject in the national curriculum, including citizenship, RE andPSHE. They chart progress up to level 1 through eight steps – P1 to P3,which show general attainment, and P4 to P8, which show subject-specificattainment.

The performance descriptions for P1 to P3 are common across all subjects.They outline the types and range of general performance that some pupilswith learning difficulties might characteristically demonstrate. Subject-focused examples are included to illustrate some of the ways in which staffmight identify attainment in different subject contexts.

From level P4, many believe it is possible to describe performance in away that indicates the emergence of subject-focused skills, knowledge andunderstanding. The descriptions provide an example of how this can bedone.



The descriptions in the subject materials can be used by staff in the sameway as the national curriculum level descriptions to:

• develop or support more focused day-to-day approaches to ongoingteacher assessment by helping to refine and develop long-, medium-and short-term planning

• track linear progress towards subject-specific attainment at nationalcurriculum level 1

• identify lateral progress by looking for related skills at similar levelsacross subjects

• record pupils’ overall development and achievement, for example, atthe end of a year or a key stage

• decide which description best fits a pupil’s performance over a periodof time and in different contexts, using their professional judgement.

A number of schools have also found the English and mathematicsP scales useful as one of several mechanisms for setting schoolimprovement targets.

The following examples show how both the general descriptions ofattainment at levels P1 to P3 and the subject-focused descriptions at P4 toP8 can be used in curriculum plans to structure learning. Using plans likethese, staff and pupils can anticipate pupil responses, note and recordthem, and then build on them to promote learning.


38 GENERAL GUIDANCE

Planning to teach electricity

The science coordinator in a school for pupils with severe andprofound and multiple learning difficulties works with her colleaguesto establish likely attainment, from the earliest responses drawn fromthe P scales to level 2 of the national curriculum, in a medium-termplan for a module of work on electricity in key stage 1. The staffdecide that the following behaviour will show that pupils are makingprogress in this unit of work by showing meaningful achievements.

Pupils may:

• react to sensory experiences, for example, light from bulbs, soundsfrom buzzers, movement

• attend to sensory experiences in a focused way, for example,looking, listening, tracking

• join in to control events, for example, operating switches (with andwithout support)

• anticipate results, for example, responding before, during andafter sensory experiences

• actively join in with circuit making, for example, joiningcomponents (with and without support)

• communicate a response to changes in circuits, for example,indicating an awareness of changes of state in bulbs, lights,batteries, buzzers (toward level 1)

• compare parts in a working circuit with those in an incompletecircuit, for example, commenting on the role of a switch (towardlevel 2).



Planning to teach weather and changes in climate

In geography sessions in key stage 3, pupils with profound andmultiple learning difficulties are included with mainstream pupils oftheir own age in activities drawn from a unit of work on the weatherand changes in climate. The geography teacher prepares thefollowing set of notes to help assess the importance of the responsesthat these pupils might make.

Pupils may:

• experience changes in environments, for example, hot/cold,still/windy, wet/dry

• show some awareness of environmental changes, for example,being startled at the change from indoor to outdoor

• react to simulated weather conditions, for example, fans, watersprays, by facial expressions showing pleasure or dissatisfaction

• begin to show consistent reactions to different conditions, forexample, offering different vocalisations or gestures in response tosimulated weather, and to cooperate with supported explorationsof contrasts

• actively take part in explorations using their senses, for example,exploring a box containing different objects associated withdifferent weather conditions, and begin to demonstrate consistentlikes and dislikes, for example, smiling or looking at swimwear

• communicate that they prefer different environmental conditionsand anticipate environmental changes they have experiencedpreviously, for example, by showing excitement by vocalising andmoving limbs on the way to the ‘winter’ room in a series ofsimulated seasons.


40 GENERAL GUIDANCE

Recognising attainment at key stage 4By key stage 4, and possibly earlier, it will be suitable for some pupils tobe working towards national qualifications. Qualifications approved for usewith pre-16 pupils are listed in DCSF guidance and include entry-levelqualifications in general and vocational areas. Entry-level qualifications areavailable at levels 1, 2 and 3 and are broadly equivalent to the samenational curriculum levels. Many more pupils will work towards certificatedschemes, internal to the school or partner institutions.

Pupils’ achievements can be recognised and publicly acknowledgedthrough qualifications and certificates and every pupil should haveappropriate opportunities to celebrate. Qualifications and certificates, andassessments matched to the specified requirements may help pupils valuetheir own achievements and measure their progress toward specifictargets. Such qualifications also recognise pupils’ achievements in thecontext of the national framework and in many cases may confirm aprogression route.


PLANNING FOR CHANGE: MONITORING, EVALUATION AND REVIEW 41

Planning for change: monitoring, evaluation andreview of the school curriculumSystematic monitoring and evaluation help staff identify clear priorities forcurriculum development and gather information for review. This processshould be done with a commitment to carrying out change.

Schools monitor, evaluate and review the curriculum for a number ofreasons, for example, to ensure that:

• curriculum aims are being met

• the curriculum is balanced and offers an appropriate pace of learning

• relationships between curriculum policy and practice are analysed

• the curriculum enables the targets set for individual pupils to be met

• pupils’ entitlement to curriculum content is met

• the individual needs of pupils are recognised and fully provided for

• the cultural backgrounds of pupils of different ethnic origins andreligions are respected and acknowledged

• attention is given to the spiritual, moral, social and culturaldevelopment of pupils

• previous learning is built on, practised and applied, and there isprovision for continuity and progression.

Governors should ensure that monitoring and evaluation are carried out.The responsibilities of school managers and staff for monitoring,evaluating and reviewing all aspects of the curriculum should be clearly setout in school policy documents. Other professionals should contribute tothe process. Pupils should also be encouraged to be active in setting theirown targets, monitoring their own progress and evaluating the curriculum.

It is important for staff to monitor the effects on pupil progress andachievement of the planning, teaching and assessment methods used,resources and the pace of lessons. The following questions may be usefulto staff in reviewing the effectiveness of their teaching.

• What were the purposes and the intended learning outcomes of theprogrammes provided? Were they met?

• What and how were methods used to measure responses and results?Were there any learning outcomes which were not intended?

• Did the learning opportunities provided lead to progress?


42 GENERAL GUIDANCE

• Were there any differences between the achievements of boys andgirls?

• What were the pupils’ thoughts and perceptions?

• What range of teaching methods were used? How were they varied forindividual pupils?

• Did pupil groupings encourage interaction between members of thegroup?

• Did the use of staff support pupils as planned and encourageindependent learning?

• Were resources suitable and helpful?

• Did the physical environment help?


NOTES 43

Notes1 Adapted from Brahm Norwich’s ‘Special needs education or education

for all: Connective specialisation and ideological impurity’ in the Britishjournal of special education.

2 These characteristics are identified by Penny Lacey in‘Mulitidisciplinary teamwork’ in Promoting inclusive practice.

3 These characteristics are identified by Peter Farrell, Maggie Balshawand Filiz Polat in The management role and training of learningsupport assistants and by Mencap in On a wing and a prayer: Inclusionand children with severe learning difficulties.

4 For further ways to share this expertise, see Christina Tilstone, PennyLacey, Jill Porter and Christopher Robertson’s Pupils with learningdifficulties in mainstream schools.

5 For further guidance on curriculum planning, see Richard Byers andRichard Rose’s Planning the curriculum for pupils with learningdifficulties: A practical guide.

6 For further details on intensive interaction, see Melanie Nind and DaveHewitt’s Access to communication: Developing the basics ofcommunication with people with severe learning difficulties throughintensive interaction.

7 For more on jigsaw groups, see Richard Rose’s ‘A jigsaw approach togroup work’ in the British journal of special education.

8 See, for example, Jean Ware’s Creating a responsive environment forpeople with profound and multiple learning difficulties.

9 See, for example, Judith Coupe O’Kane and Juliet Goldbart’sCommunication before speech: Development and assessment.

10 For further guidance on assessment, recording and record keeping,see Hazel Lawson’s Practical record keeping.

11 This framework is based on the work of Stuart Aitken and MariannaBuultjens (1992), E Brown (1996) and John M McInness and J A Treffry(1982).


44 GENERAL GUIDANCE

Further supportThe materials listed below may provide further support for teaching pupilswith learning difficulties.

Aitken, Stuart, and Marianna Buultjens. Vision for doing. Edinburgh: MorayHouse School of Education, 1992.

Brown, E. Religious education for all. London: David Fulton PublishersLimited, 1996.

Byers, Richard, and Richard Rose. Planning the curriculum for pupils withspecial educational needs: A practical guide. London: David FultonPublishers Limited, 2005.

Department for Education and Employment and the Qualifications andCurriculum Authority. The national curriculum handbook for primaryteachers in England: Key stages 1 and 2 (QCA/99/986). London: TheStationary Office Limited, 2000.

Farrell, Peter, Maggie Balshaw and Filiz Polat. The management role andtraining of learning support assistants. Research report 161. London:Department for Education and Employment, 2000.

Lacey, Penny. ‘Multidisciplinary teamwork’. Promoting inclusive practice.Eds. Lani Florian, Richard Rose and Christina Tilstone. London: Routledge,1998. 219–232.

Lawson, Hazel. Practical record keeping. 2nd ed. London: David FultonPublishers Limited, 1998.

Maintaining breadth and balance at key stages 1 and 2 (QCA/98/190).London: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, 1998.

Marvin, Claire. ‘Individual and whole class teaching’. Promoting inclusivepractice. Eds. Lani Florian, Richard Rose and Christina Tilstone. London:Routledge, 1998. 138–156.

McInness, John M, and J A Treffry. Deaf-blind infants and children: Adevelopmental guide. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1982.

Mencap. On a wing and a prayer: Inclusion and children with severelearning difficulties. London: Mencap, 1999.

The national curriculum statutory requirements for key stages 3 and 4 fromSeptember 2008 (QCA/07/3254). London: Qualifications and CurriculumAuthority, 2007.


FURTHER SUPPORT 45

Nind, Melanie, and Dave Hewett. Access to communication: Developingthe basics of communication with people with severe learning difficultiesthrough intensive interaction. 2nd ed. London: David Fulton PublishersLimited, 2005.

Norwich, Brahm. ‘Special needs education or education for all: Connectivespecialisation and ideological impurity’. British journal of specialeducation. 23.3 (1996): 100–104.

O’Kane, Judith Coupe, and Juliet Goldbart. Communication beforespeech: Development and assessment. 2nd ed. London: David FultonPublishers Limited, 1998.

Personalising the curriculum for 14–25s with learning difficulties – newopportunities, broadening horizons. Updated October 2007. Qualificationsand Curriculum Authority. (www.qca.org.uk/qca_13985.aspx).

Planning the curriculum at key stages 1 and 2. London: School Curriculumand Assessment Authority, 1995.

Planning the curriculum for pupils with profound and multiple learningdifficulties. London: School Curriculum and Assessment Authority, 1996.

Practice guidance for the early years foundation stage (DCSF00266-2008BKT-EN). London: Department for Children, Schools and Families,2008.

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Special educational needs code of practice (DfES/581/2001). London:Department for Education and Skills, 2001.

Tilstone, Christina, Penny Lacey, Jill Porter and Christopher Robertson.Pupils with learning difficulties in mainstream schools. London: DavidFulton Publishers Limited, 2000.

Using the P scales (DVD and booklet; QCA/09/4060). London:Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, 2009.

Uzgiris, Ina C, and Joseph McVicker Hunt. Assessment in infancy: Ordinalscales of psychological development. Urbana, Illinois: University of IllinoisPress, 1975.

Ware, Jean. Creating a responsive environment for people with profoundand multiple learning difficulties. 2nd ed. London: David Fulton PublishersLimited, 2003.


46 GENERAL GUIDANCE

AcknowledgementsThis guidance was developed with subject specialists from QCA andpractitioners and academics in the field, including members of EQUALS(an organisation which represents over 500 schools and individualmembers), by building on innovative curriculum development and practicein schools throughout the country. The work was steered byrepresentatives from the Department for Education and Employment,National Advisory Group for Special Educational Needs, QCA, TeacherTraining Agency, Ofsted and Beaumont Hill School.

The core development team consisted of Dr Christina Tilstone of theUniversity of Birmingham, Dr Jean Ware of the University of Cardiff (onsecondment to St Patrick’s College, Dublin), Richard Byers of the Universityof Cambridge, and Michael Thompson of Hexham Priory Schoolrepresenting EQUALS.

Special thanks are due to the members of the development teams whocontributed their expert knowledge of learning difficulties, curriculumplanning and development, and gave so much time and energy to thedevelopment of the subject materials:Angela Pratt – Lidgett Grove School, YorkCarmel Appleton – Galtres School, YorkAlison Green – Turnshaw School, HuddersfieldAlison Harland – St Luke’s School, ScunthorpeGail Norrie – Piper Hill High School, ManchesterClaire Marvin – Leyland School, NuneatonJune Green – St Andrews School, DerbyAnn Starr – Manor Park School, WorcesterAndrew Turner – Severndale School, ShrewsburyJan Wells – Stanton Vale School, IlkestonHazel Lawson – Middlesex UniversityRebecca Crispin – St Stephen’s CP School, LauncestonAnn Fergusson – University College, NorthamptonNick Howard – Brooklands School, ReigateEileen Richards – Charlton Park School, London.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 47

The project team would also like to thank the many teachers, schools,curriculum groups, local education and unitary authorities, and otherorganisations who submitted curriculum documents and commented ondrafts of the materials. In particular, they would like to acknowledge thework of Georgina Julian in analysing the data received during the formalconsultation, and the support and specific advice received from thefollowing professionals and groups of teachers:Rob AshdownMark BarberHanna BartonClaire BensonNigel CardenBarry CarpenterOliver CaviglioliCaroline ClaridgeBob CoburnLesley DeeTina DetheridgeCelia DickinsonMark EmlyNicola GroveElizabeth HowarthValerie JonesBernadette KnillPenny LaceyPáid McGreeSteve MorrisJill PorterHelen ReddingChristopher RobertsonRichard RoseVince Stroudmembers of the Eastern Region ForumDorset PMLD Curriculum Group.G E N E R A L G U I D E L I N E S


For more copies: QCA Orderlinewww.qca.org.uk/orderlineTel: 08700 60 60 15; Fax: 08700 60 60 17Email: [email protected]

ISBN 978-1-84721-887-2Order ref QCA/09/4020

About this publication

Who’s it for?This handbook is for all those who work with pupilswith learning difficulties. This includes pupils who areoften described as having severe, profound andmultiple, or moderate learning difficulties. Theguidance relates to all pupils aged 5 to 16 who areunlikely to achieve above level 2 at key stage 4.

What’s it about?It provides guidance on developing the school’scurriculum for pupils with learning difficulties,including planning, monitoring, evaluation and review,and recognising pupil progress and achievement.

What’s it for?It will be useful in developing an inclusive curriculum.It can be used in mainstream schools, special primaryand secondary schools, specialised units andindependent schools. It can also support the rangeof services that work with pupils with learningdifficulties.

Related materialThis handbook is part of a set of guidance onplanning and teaching the curriculum for pupils withlearning difficulties. The entire set, which includesgeneral guidance, guidance on developing skills andsubject-specific guidance, can be found on the QCAwebsite at www.qca.org.uk/ld.

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planning, teaching and assessing the curriculum for pupils with learning

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